How can you determine the amount of moles of each element in a compound?

Determining the amount of moles of each element in a compound primarily involves using the molecular weight of the compound. The correct approach is to divide the mass of the sample you have by the molecular weight of the entire compound.

When you divide the mass by the molecular weight, you convert the mass, which is measured in grams, into moles, which is the standard unit for quantifying chemical substances. One mole of a substance is equivalent to its molecular weight in grams, so this relationship allows you to calculate how many moles of each element are present in the compound based on the total mass you have.

In cases where the compound's molecular formula is known, you can break down the molecular weight of the compound into the contributions from each individual element. For example, if you have a compound like water (H2O), you would know its molecular weight (approximately 18 g/mol). Therefore, if you have 36 grams of water, you would divide that mass by the molecular weight to find that you have 2 moles of water, which implies you consequently can ascertain moles of hydrogen and oxygen within that context as well.

Other approaches, such as weighing each element separately or assuming a standard weight, are either impractical